conventional long form: Tunisian
Republic conventional short form: Tunisia local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah local short form: Tunis

Capital:

Tunis. Population: 2 million (2004
census).

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the
Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya

Area:

163,610 sq km (63,170 sq miles).

Description: The Republic of Tunisia lies on the Mediterranean coast of Africa,
130km (80 miles) southwest of Sicily and 160km (100 miles) due south
of Sardinia. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and Libya to the
southeast. The landscape varies from the cliffs of the north coast to
the woodlands of the interior, from deep valleys of rich arable land
to desert, and from towering mountains to salt pans lower than sea
level. South of Gafsa and Gab?�s is the Sahara desert. The 1,100km
(700 miles) of coastline is dotted with small islands, notably Jerba
in the south and Kerkennah in the east, and from the northwest to the
southeast the coastline is backed successively by pine-clad hills,
lush pasture, orchards, vineyards and olive groves.

Population:

10.4 million (official estimate 2008).

language: The official language is Arabic. French is the second language,
English, German and Italian are spoken mainly in tourist resorts.

Climate: Tunisia has a typical Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and
mild winters, when there is the most rainfall. Best periods are spring
and autumn. Summer temperatures can be extremely high inland and in
the south

Economy - overview:Tunisia's economy is based around agriculture (main products are
wheat, barley, olive oil, wine and fruit), mining (phosphates, iron,
lead, aluminium fluoride and zinc), tourism, and manufacturing
(chemicals, textiles, machinery, paper and wood). Annual GDP growth
was 6.3% in 2007 - an increase on recent years due to developments in
manufacturing, agriculture and the services sector.
The government exerts strong control over the economy, and policy
during the last decade has followed the path of deregulation,
including abolition of trade controls, privatisation and making the
Tunisian Dinar fully convertible. Tunisia's most important trade links
are with the EU whose members (principally France and Germany) account
for three-quarters of all the country's trade.
Despite strong growth, Tunisia has a problem of unemployment (13.9% in
2007), especially among the young. Inflation was 2.9% in 2007.

Economy: Tunisia's economy is based around agriculture (main products are
wheat, barley, olive oil, wine and fruit), mining (phosphates, iron,
lead, aluminium fluoride and zinc), tourism, and manufacturing
(chemicals, textiles, machinery, paper and wood). Annual GDP growth
was 6.3% in 2007 - an increase on recent years due to developments in
manufacturing, agriculture and the services sector.
The government exerts strong control over the economy, and policy
during the last decade has followed the path of deregulation,
including abolition of trade controls, privatisation and making the
Tunisian Dinar fully convertible. Tunisia's most important trade links
are with the EU whose members (principally France and Germany) account
for three-quarters of all the country's trade.
Despite strong growth, Tunisia has a problem of unemployment (13.9% in
2007), especially among the young. Inflation was 2.9% in 2007.